united we stood...

i stood united with thousands australia-wide at the 'ban live export' rallies held last weekend and heard the remarkable lyn white from animals australia...

and just why were we there? to stand up and be counted, to say enough is enough - this heinous industry must stop immediately... we have seen far too many recent reports of brutality from the moment these beautiful sentient creatures are herded onto the transport trucks, to harrowing weeks and months on board disgustingly cruel slave ships, to the callous and savage butchery that is their final degradation at human hands - how could we not stand up for the violated voiceless?

Lyn White at Ban Live Export Rally, 6th October 2012 from Animals Australia on Vimeo.

people are starting to understand graphic scenes like the following 2 clips are 'the norm' rather than the exception for those who actually survive the harrowing journey...

 

sadly hundreds of thousands of enslaved nonhumans will endure this brutality while the industry continues with the support of politicians...

but change is 'in the air'... members of parliament are starting to stand up and be counted alongside the rest of us...

janelle saffin - introduced a private members bill calling for an end to the trade in 2011, supported by 5 other members - melissa parke, kirsten livermore, jill hall, dick adams and adam bandt (who reiterated his support of a ban at the 2012 melbourne rally)

kelvin thompson - called on his government colleagues to ban live animal exports

lee rhiannon - introduced the greens 'Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2012' on thursday 11 october 2012... "No amount of regulation can end the cruelty that is inherent in the live export trade," she told the Senate yesterday."

many more support a ban privately but need to be brave enough to put what's right before party politics... if a conscience vote was allowed i'm sure more would vote against the trade...

unfortunately change doesn't come quickly enough for those currently enslaved and already on their torturous journey to slow, painful, horrific death...

but i need to believe change will happen as more and more people open their eyes and see the horrors, open their hearts and feel compassion, open their minds and make the connection, open their mouths and shout 'no more'...

"first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win" ... mohandas karamchand gandhi

a call to action...

this plea from lyn white of animals australia was in my inbox earlier this week so i need to share it's urgent message...

"If you care about animals and want to see them protected from cruelty, then please join us this Saturday as we rally side-by-side, right across the country, for an end to live export.

As you read this, more than 10,000 Australian sheep await an uncertain fate in Pakistan. They have witnessed half their companions slaughtered in the most brutal ways — clubbed, stabbed and buried alive. Every day that passes, more and more animals are put at risk of extreme cruelty and abuse.

Despite assurances from the Australian Government that cruelty in the live export trade would be addressed, animals continue to be neglected, brutalised, and have their throats cut while fully conscious. Tragedy after tragedy reveals that animals exported live will always be at risk. And yet, they continue to be sent. This sends the appalling message to the rest of the world that Australia accepts animal cruelty.

The animals are depending on us — we must urgently let politicians know that caring Australians will not vote for political parties that support live export. This is your chance to join with others at a family-friendly event to rally for a kinder future for animals.

I sincerely hope you can join us, Lyn White Campaign Director

P.S. I realise that Saturday 6th October is short notice for a national rally. But I'm sure you'll agree that the latest shocking abuse of animals in the live export trade warrants a rapid response on a national scale. The Animals Australia team is pulling out all stops to create an event that our politicians won't be able to ignore."

if you have one iota of compassion, please be there for the voiceless - the larger the crowd, the more noticeable the outrage, the harder it is for politicians to ignore us... help end this horrendously cruel aspect of the brutal animal enslavement trade...

homophobia - still around and still brutal...

on receiving my latest email update from change.org i read with horror the story of millicent gaika, a 30 year old south african womon who was beaten, strangled, tortured and raped for five hours by a man as he screamed that he would “cure” her of her lesbianism...

'corrective rape' they call it - a term used to describe the rape of a lesbian with the aim of 'turning' her heterosexual - the implication being that this form of rape is justifiable because it's a 'rehabilitation process' - a necessary punishment - and therefore not a crime against womyn...

sadly the horrifying reality is that "more than 500 “corrective rapes” are reported in South Africa each year, and more than 30 South African lesbians have been murdered because of their sexuality over the past decade. Worse, for every 100 men charged with rape in South Africa, 96 of them walk free..." you can read more here or sign the petition below to have this heinous brutality declared a hate crime...

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

and still more violently acted out homophobia with this disturbing article from reuters uk office...

"Girl killed gay man in "Clockwork Orange" attack.  An 18-year-old girl was facing jail on Thursday after being found guilty of a homophobic attack which one witness described as being like something out of the film "A Clockwork Orange. 

Former public schoolgirl Ruby Thomas was convicted of the manslaughter of 62-year-old Ian Baynham, who died 18 days after the drink-fuelled assault in Trafalgar Square." ... read more here


shameful isn't it that there is so much violent abuse in this world - so many more horrifying stories waiting to be heard... the brutal and callous treatment of any sentient being is hard to fathom in this world full of incredible beauty and natural wonder...

for those who were touched by tony the tiger's plight, an update...

sadly, this beautiful boy is to be psychologically and physically tormented for another 12 months... the action to free tony from his concrete and steel prison has been unsuccessful with the renewal of the truck stop owner's permit to keep him as a 'roadside attraction' for yet another year - but the fight to have him surrendered to a big cat sanctuary will continue throughout 2011... read more of tony's story here...

as it's that time of year - yes, summer! - nature's flourishing and abundant time (thanks Lily for sharing your lovely garden bounty of herbs and veg with me!) - i'd be remiss if i didn't wish you a happy summer solstice for tuesday 21 december...